DOES COMING TO CHRIST CHANGE ONE’S SOCIAL STATUS ?

According to some people who believe coming to Christ should change our social status,  the early church certainly got it wrong as the social status of the slaves in their midst didn't change as they remained slaves after coming to Christ.  Paul himself sent Onesimus who was a runaway slave back to Philemon his master. He even promised to pay Philemon whatever Onesimus owned him. Paul wrote instructions in his epistles encouraging Christians who were slaves to obey their masters. Which one is worse ? Being poor or being a slave ? I would rather be poor than being a slave. The believers were slaves and Paul and Peter didn't tell them that they had been free from slavery by the death of Jesus on the cross ? Actually some were even worse. They were slaves and they were poor. Can anyone go lower than that socially ? Yet there is no single verse in scripture that says that Jesus paid for their slavery and that they were now free ? The apostles instead of telling them of their freedom in Christ told them to obey their masters as they would obey God himself ? JESUS DIDNT DIE TO CHANGE ANYBODY'S SOCIAL STATUS. HE DIED TO CHANGE OUR SPIRITUAL STATUS. His death lives the believers from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. From sin to righteousness. From spiritually dead to being spiritually alive. His dead wasn't meant to give anyone a  "from rag to riches Story." That's why no one can claim with biblical back up that knowing Christ has moved him higher in the social strata. Knowing Christ would move you up in the spiritual strata though... You would become a child of God. And eternal life would be your portion. Amen !!

However social status is determined by several factors that are purely biological, economical and definitely, political. Your social status depends on where you were born, where you live and what you do for a living and not on what you believe. If you were born in a poor family, you would at least grow up as a poor. If you're hard working and lucky,you might land a good paying job or even marry from a rich family which can exponentially move up the social ladder. But if you're not lucky enough to get a high pay job ,vocation or marry a rich person, chances are you may remain poor for the rest of your life. What you believe won't help you. Your religion won't be able to help you. You could be a Christian, Muslim,  pagan or Buddhist. It won't add a penny to your account. You'd just be a poor Christian, Muslim, pagan or Buddhist. You can believe that Jesus died for you to be a millionaire. That won't shift up higher even an inch. 

The economy of the place where you live also determines how high one goes up the social strata. It is known that a slave in the house of Caesar was better and had more honour than some free and rich people. Hence many free men became slaves in the house of Caesar in order to move up the social ladder. Some free men also got married to slaves of rich people in order to enjoy the privileges that such slaves had access to which they as free men could not get. 

The dog of a rich man eats better than the child of a poor man or the poor man himself. Some pets have more expensive clothing and enjoy more luxury than some human beings just because the economy under which they live is well structured and works well.  It is clear that someone who lives in America or western Europe has more chances of going up the social ladder than someone that lives in Sub Saharan Africa. This is because they have a good economic structure, well principled men and women who have toiled hard down the years to keep a high quality of life going. The faith such people subscribe to is of know relevance as the Bible teaches that," He that doesn't work should not eat." 

That is why people and animals migrate. They move from a place to the other in search of a better quality of life. African migrants brave the Sahara desert on foot and cross the Mediterranean Sea on wrecked like boats without even a life jacket, stare at death in the face just because they believe that under better economics climes, they will be able to move further up in the social strata. The migration will enable them achieve and give their children a better quality of life.

Also if one works hard and is lucky,  who knows ? He might better his plight and find himself way up there in the social strata. God himself promised to blesses the work of our hands. The Bible teaches that poverty would be the lot of a lazy person. So if one works well, no latter his religious background, chances are he may become richer. He might be able to add some number to his account. The main reason African nations are poor is because they do not put enough efforts into growing their economy. A good economy will translate into good jobs and better opportunities for the people. Better opportunities would translate into a better quality of life and definitely into a better life expectancy. 

Anyone who lives by these principles irrespective of his religion would see results. 

Finally, if someone you know dies and leaves you an inheritance, your social status will definitely change. Or if you win the lottery or even manage to steal or embezzle public funds like many do in sub Saharan Africa, you social status will definitely change for the better. 

Never in the history of man has it been recorded that a man's status in life changed just because he move from one system of beliefs to another. Belief in itself can change one behaviour perspective. It can alter one's worldview. But in the end it is where you're born, where you live, what you do and who you associate with that will determine your position or how high you climb on the social ladder. Your religion doesn't matter in this case. In fact it is easier to move up the social ladder either by stealing, prostituting or winning the lottery than by adherence to Christianity or any other religion for that matter. 

Hence,  my brothers, it is of primary importance to get our perspectives right and stop asking God for something he never promised us in the first place. Let's embrace the principle of diligence in hard work. It is the only way we can better our plight and that of our nation's and continent. Religious superstitions won't advance us for an inch. Let's make the difference. Religion has its place. Hard work has its own place. Let's not use one to replace the other. If all of us work hard with diligence, the change we will all experience will be such that our mouths would be left opened. 

If becoming a Christian or coming to Christ had the potential of changing our social status, the whole of Sub Saharan Africa, which is the area with the most churches would be swimming in material riches. Countries like Japan, China, Korea ,Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and the rest would be living in poverty since the percentage if Christians in such places is negligibly low. But as we know, such is not the case. Although south of the Sahara, Christianity seems to have taken the area by storm, the people still live in abject poverty with a lack of basic amenities such as water, electricity, food, basic health care, and roads ; a high rate of childbirth and infant mortality, low rate of life expectancy, corruption and infrastructural degradation. The non Christian countries seem to enjoy an unprecedented prosperity and abundance. This should without any shadow of doubt remove from every mind the notion that joining Christianity or any other religion is the pathway to financial breakthrough or an easy lease on our quest to becoming rich and prosperous according to this world. Because, if Christianity can’t make it happen, no other faith certainly can.